A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting [Hardcover]

Sam Sheridan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2007

In 1999, after a series of wildly adventurous jobs around the world, Sam Sheridan found himself in Australia, loaded with cash and intent on not working until he’d spent it all. It occurred to him that, without distractions, he could finally indulge a long-dormant obsession: fighting. Within a year, he was in Bangkok training with the greatest fighter in muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) history and stepping through the ropes for a professional bout. That one fight wasn’t enough. Sheridan set out to test himself on an epic journey into how and why we fight, facing Olympic boxers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu stars, and Ultimate Fighting champions. Along the way, Sheridan delivers an insightful look at violence as a career and a spectator sport, a behind-the-pageantry glimpse of athletes at the top of their terrifying game.  An extraordinary combination of gonzo journalism and participatory sports writing, A Fighter’s Heart is a dizzying first-hand account of what it’s like to reach the peak of finely disciplined personal aggression, to hit—and be hit.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Sheridan joined the merchant marines after high school, eventually graduated from Harvard, and worked his way to Australia on a yacht. There, in 1999, he decided to indulge his fascination with fighting, hoping to test himself and explore what has become a mostly sublimated aspect of masculinity. After some months of training in Australia, he moved to Bangkok to train with a legendary Muay Thai (kickboxing) champion. That experience--and his first professional bout--expanded into a multiyear odyssey in which he trained with Olympic boxers, Brazilian jujitsu champions, and Ultimate Fighting combatants. The magic in his account is in the telling detail--not only about how he suffers, trains, and fights but also about his reactions to his surroundings; the way, for example, he finds himself gradually becoming indifferent to the street orphans of Brazil, desensitized by their very omnipresence. It isn't Sheridan's toughness or fearlessness that makes this an involving excursion into a shadow world; it's his ability to re-create the textures of those shadows and to make us care about his oddly quixotic journey. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; First Edition edition (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871139502
• ISBN-13: 978-0871139504
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Boxing

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you game? April 18, 2007

By Erik Olson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I've often wondered why I'm driven towards karate and boxing. Based on Sam Sheridan's fine book "A Fighter's Heart," it seems I'm testing my gameness, enjoying purity of purpose, and examining my life and motives (and at 40, I may have also fallen short developmentally somewhere along the line).

On the surface, Mr. Sheridan doesn't appear to be the fighting type. He grew up in a relatively stable family situation, attended Harvard, and likes to write. But he clearly wanted more excitement from life than cranking out human interest articles at the local bistro. Instead, he joined the Merchant Marines, got into wilderness firefighting, and along the way was bit hard by the fighting bug.

To indulge and understand his compulsion, the author traveled the world to try his mettle in various full-contact martial arts: Muay Thai in Thailand, MMA in Iowa, jiu-jitsu in Brazil, and boxing in California. In addition to testing himself in these potentially harmful venues, he also wanted to seek out other seasoned fighters and trainers for mentoring and instruction. He even checked out animal fighting and action movie stunt work to broaden his perspectives. Finally, Mr. Sheridan concludes his book with an analysis of why humans fight.

I found his detours into the more obscure aspects of fighting quite interesting. For example, he briefly explores the internal arts by studying under a Tai Chi master and engaging in Buddhist meditation at a Thai retreat center. These segues rewarded him with a greater understanding of body mechanics and a sharper mental focus. He even discovered commonalities between the various martial arts, such as the relationship between shadow boxing and kata. Mr.... Sheridan's foray into stunt work for actor Paul Walker to understand the lure of action movies was also intriguing. And I enjoyed meeting the many fighters, teachers, and other colorful personalities he encountered.

Despite its superb insights, "A Fighter's Heart" suffers from two shortcomings. First, Mr. Sheridan kept getting injured, so he didn't engage in formal competition very much. Indeed, his physical limitations often relegated him to the role of observer and hanger-on. Also, his journey into the seamy world of dog and chicken fighting was an unwelcome diversion. The sweetest pet I ever owned was a pit bull, and I hate to see them tear each other up for money. To be fair, he made some interesting observations about this darker form of fighting. But I could've lived without it.

"A Fighter's Heart" is not only a fascinating look into various martial arts (and a good travelogue to boot), it's also a window of understanding into why otherwise sane individuals try to hurt each other. After reading this book, I'm more aware of the internal motivations and external forces that drive me towards karate, boxing (and even motorcycle riding). I recommend it to anyone who's curious about his or her own compulsion to face off against someone in the ring. Read more ›

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars captivating February 8, 2007

By Michael Alatortsev

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

In this nonfiction book, Sam Sheridan ventures into the world of mixed martial arts. He is more than a journalist. From a Muay Thai camp in Thailand, to working with Pat Miletich in Iowa, he subjects himself to grueling training. He signs up for fights. He wins, he loses, he gets hurt.

"A Figher's Heart" is memorable, inspiring, and instructive. He points out - being a fighter is all about figuring our who you are, what works for you. It's interesting how that idea comes up again and again throughout the book, whether he is training in Asia or in Brazil. By studying seemingly unrelated arts - Muay Thai, wrestling, boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chi Gun, the author discovers surprising parallels.

I found it very interesting to read about the psychological aspects of professional fighting. The author covers a wide range of topics - from intreviewing a boxer who had killed his opponent in the ring and how it affected him, to his own experience of preparing for a fight. If you haven't ever made a conscious decision to face crippling injury or even death before - this book will tell you exactly what it feels like, to step into the ring. If you have - it will make you want to buy this guy a beer. The part where he talks about an old injury - that kept haunting him, and maade him unable to continue a fight - almost made me cry.

The author doesn't stop there - he talks about dealing defeat, violence, dog fights, feeling alive, celebrity. This is the kind of book that makes you forget about your stupid day job and your cubicle, and makes you realize how good it is to be a man.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to the athlete February 12, 2007

By A. Meyer

Format:Hardcover

While Sam Sheridan's story revolves around fighting, the questions and themes he teases out apply to all athletics, and competition in general. What makes us compete? What makes us suffer? Maybe A Fighter's Heart is even more interesting to fighting fans, but as a non-fighter I can attest that it is enthralling.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Started Strong & Then Gassed February 9, 2009

By N. Murphy

Format:Paperback

The first chapters of this book with Sheridan's training in Thailand were very good. Unfortunately, the intensity doesnt continue throughout the book. This seemed to be a consequence of the authors injuries but the need to fill space was obvious with two chapters that had nothing to do with "A Fighters Heart".

The first was an ugly chapter on dog fighting. Despite trying to draw comparisons between man and dog, it doesnt work at all. (In my own opinion, dog fighting seems more for those who dont have the courage to fight themselves.)

The second chapter with no ryhme or reason is the meandering narrative on being extras in a B movie with Miletich's crew. Thoughout it was obvious that Sheridan was searching for some way to end this book.

I would suggest that the author heal up and head back to Brazil or Thailand and get the experiences necessary to conclude this book without more references to Joyce Carol Oates. (The chapter on jiu jitsu was particularly brief since the author managed to get arm-barred by a white belt and disabled to the point of no longer being able to train?)

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars More like "A Writer's Heart"... April 15, 2009

By MitchellTR

Format:Paperback

Sam Sheridan is a smart and stable guy who wanted to put himself in the fight game to test his limits, and (unfortunately for all of us) he found them quickly.

He essentially spent all his money traveling the world, studying various martial arts with legendary trainers at the most exclusive locations, with intentions of running a gauntlet of fights in boxing, MMA, and eventually a bare-knuckled, headbutts-permitted brawl in Myanmar.

Though Sam presents great insight and background stories on every person he meets and place he visits, he projects a serious inability (or unwillingness) to stick with anything he starts long enough to master it. The way he tells it, all his coaches are pretty much fine with this, which seems unlikely. His first Muay Thai fight in the book is short and disappointing and it seems like he cancels or declines every other bout opportunity presented him for the rest of the book, a period of about six years, according to his own account.

Most of the book was still interesting, as Sam traveled and studied in an effort to fully understand the fighting world. Unfortunately he fills in the final pages with an unpleasant walk through the world of dog and cockfighting, making paper-thin connections between that world and respectable, legitimate sports. Finally, he drags us through his time serving as an extra in a Paul Walker film I'd never heard of. By the end of the book I was flipping back through in disbelief at what was included in the final pages.

Sam admits early on that he sold this story as a means to pay for his travels and unfortunately it shows. Some of the events and exchanges that took place seemed unusual in some spots and improbable in others.... By the end of the book I understood why I'd never heard of the author in either the literary arena or that of career fighters. A ton of potential, not much follow-through.

Two stars awarded for the inclusion and mention of better work by other authors. Read more ›